Composite heel



Nov. 20, 'i923 1,475,042

P. ARTHUR COMPOSITE HEEL Filed April 11 1921 l..Illll Murad I7 Patented Nov. 20, 1923.

'E 'E c F E l Q E j PAUL ARTHUR, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

COMPOSITE HEEL.

Application led April 11, 1921. Serial No. 460,290.

To all who/na it may 'concern Be it known that I, PAUL ARTHUR, a citiV- zen o-f the United States, residing at Chicago, in the connty of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Composite Heels, of which the following is aclear, full, and exact description.

This invention relates to composite heels for footwear and with regard to certain more specific features thereof to spring` meta-l inserts for heels consisting largely of rubber or other elastic material.

It is one of the .important objects of the present invention to provide a heel body of rubber or rubber compound with simple and eflicientmeans for resisting wear at the important contact point of the heel with the ground without impairing the resilient or cushioning characteristic of the heel.

Another object of the invention lies in the provision of a spring metal insert extending through the mass of the rubber in such a way as to iiex readily with the rubber and be exposed at the tread surface of the heel only at a rear area thereof where the initial impact takes place between the heel and the ground in the usual walking. action.

A further object is in the provision of simple and inexpensive means for locating the metal insert in'position with respect to the rubber or rubber compound body, and of means permitting the .quick and convenient installation or removal of the insert when or if desired.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a heel of the type above specitied which shall be proof against slipping or skidding, notwithstanding a possibility of this which might be enhanced bythe exposed wear resisting portion of the metal insert. f I

Other objects will be in Dart obvious and in part pointed out hereinafter:

The invention accordingly consists in the various features of construction, combination of elements and arrangements of parts, which will be exemplified .by the construction hereinafter set forth andthe scope of the application of which will be indicated by the following claim.

In the drawings, wherein is shown one of various possible embodiments of the invention:

Fig. V1 is a view in side elevation of a vheel equipped with my improvements.

Fig. 2' is a top plan viewV of a heel for a right foot shoe. r

Fig. 3 is a bottom plan or tread surface view of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 4 4 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a sectional View taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken on the line 6 6 of Fig. 2.

Referring now Vmore particularly to the drawings, wherein similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views, there is indicated at 11 a shoe having an outer sole 12 extending rearwardly to the extreme rearend of the shoe and adapted to receive a heel 18 constructed in accordance with my invention.

In the embodiment shown the heel comprises a body le'of comparatively soft elastic material, such as rubber or rubber compound, and a strip 15 of metal'having a resilient characteristic, such for example as spring steel. The body or mass of rubber 14 has molded therein, the" usual form, a plurality of recesses 16 adapted to receive the tacks or nails by which thebody is secured to the sole of the shoe as indicatedat 17.

rlhe invention contemplates either the molding of the rubber body with the spring metal strip embedded therein, or the molding of the heel with an aperture so that the strip may be inserted or assembled with it after the molding operation.V

The strip 15 comprises a shank portion 18, a wear resisting portion 19 and an attaching portion 20. In the embodiment shown the attaching portion 20 is disposed at the forward end of the body of the heel with its upper surface substantially flush with the upper surface of the body. The wear resisting portion is disposed at the rear of the heel with its lower surface substantially flush with the tread surface of the heel. TheV two said portions are joined by the shank 18 extending diagonally through the body 14. The ears 21 and 22 are formed on the attaching portion and provided with apertures 23 and 24 to receive the Shanks or bolts 25 and 26 respectively which pass from the upper side of the outer sole 12 downwardly through said vouter sole and the ears of said strip and are engaged by nuts 27 and 28 to secure the heel to the shoe by v means directly engaging the metal portion of the heel. The rubber portion 'of the heel is engaged in the usual way by the tacks 17. It will be noted however that the metal strip 15 is cut away at its forward end as indicated in Fig. 2 at 30 to permit one of the tacks 17 to pass directlyfrom the rubber port-ion ofthe heel into thel sole of the yshoe thereby providing for direct attachment `of the rubber portion of the heel aswell as for the direct attachment of the metal portion of the heel along what may be termed the forward edge.`

It has been demonstrated that in walking i the point of initial contact of the shoe with the ground is .in the vgreat majority of cases somewhat toward the outside of the centerline of the shoe and along the rear edge of the heel. The wear resisting or exposed portion vof the spring vmetal strip is therefore disposed on the rubber body with particular reference to this point as shown clearly in Figs. 2 and 3 of the drawings.

The portion 19 is apertured as indicated at y31 and the rubber body of the heel is molded with the projection 32 fitting within this :aperture and extending to a plane even with the tread surface of the heel. This gives a non-skid characteristic to an area of the tread surface of the heel which might otherwise promote slipping or skidding of the user.

As has been pointed out, ity is contemplated that the metal strip may be molded in position, or inserted after the body of the heel has been molded. In following out the latter idea, the metal strip is formed with a substantially narrow shank and wear resistingv portion so that it will have an easy iexibility and may be quickly and conveniently inserted from the forward edge of the heel rearwardly through the opening provided during the molding operation,

yand forced beyond and over the projection` 32.

The life of a heel of this type is much longer than the `life of the ordinary rubber heel, due to the fact that 'a metal contact surface is provided at the most important contact point, while at the same time there is no sacrifice of resiliency. The action of the wear resisting portion of the spring strip is such that upon contactv of it with the ground under the pressure of the weight of the user, it may yield slightly and at the same time the rubber in and around `the projection 32 will be forcedto some eX-tent through the aperture 31. Slight shoulders `are formed by this relative movement bef .shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in aV limiting sense.

What I claim is:

A heel comprising, in combination, a body of comparatively soft rubber or rubber compound having a recess in which is tted a metal insert; said metal 'insert being shaped to permit introduction of, or withdrawal from said recess at the front 'of said body and having a rear wear resisting por tion exposed substantially Hush with the lower surface of said heel.

PAUL amnrin.y 

